Helmeted woodpecker
| Helmeted woodpecker | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Helmeted woodpecker at Intervales State Park, Ribeirão Grande, São Paulo State, Brazil | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Piciformes |
| Family: | Picidae |
| Genus: | Celeus |
| Species: | C. galeatus |
| Binomial name | |
| Celeus galeatus (Temminck, 1822) | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Hylatomus galeatus | |
The helmeted woodpecker (Celeus galeatus) is a species of bird in the family Picidae. It has been recorded from Argentina, Brazil, and Paraguay, but has all but vanished from the latter two countries. Its habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montane forests. It is threatened by habitat loss.
Taxonomy
Coenraad Jacob Temminck described the helmeted woodpecker in 1822. Its specific epithet is from the Latin word galea, meaning "helmet". It was reclassified as Hylatomus galeatus by some authorities. Upon sequencing the mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, Martjan Lammertink and colleagues found that it lay genetically with the latter genus and proposed the name Celeus galeatus.[2] The placement of the helmeted woodpecker in the genus Celeus was accepted by the International Ornithologists' Union.[3]
Its genetic position indicates that it has evolved to mimic the lineated woodpecker (Dryocopus lineatus), whose range it shares, by adopting similar plumage.[4]
Description
Adult birds are 27–28 cm (11 in) in length, with a long (3.15–3.5 cm (1.24–1.38 in)) bill that is wide at the base and shaped like a chisel. Its head, lores and ear coverts are cinnamon-coloured, brightening to red on the crown and crest. The mantle, wings, upper back and nape are brown-black, the lower back is cream and the underparts barred black and cream.[5]
The red crest, black back, and barred underside of the helmeted woodpecker resemble those of two larger woodpeckers—Dryocopus lineatus and Campephilus robustus—a form of mimicry which helps prevent attacks by other animals.[6]
Distribution and habitat
The helmeted woodpecker has been rated as vulnerable on the IUCN red list as much of its habitat has been affected by deforestation and although it is found across a large area, it is nowhere common. Its population is estimated at under 10,000 adult birds.[1] The removal of forest has led to it almost vanishing from Brazil; it has disappeared from Rio Grande do Sul in the 1920s, Santa Catarina in the 1940s and Paraná in the 1950s. A population is confirmed to exist in Iguazú National Park.[7]
References
- 1 2 BirdLife International (2012). "Dryocopus galeatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2013.2. International Union for Conservation of Nature. Retrieved 26 November 2013.
- ↑ Lammertink, M.; Kopuchian, C.; Brandl, H.B.; Tubaro, P.L.; Winkler, H. (2016). "A striking case of deceptive woodpecker colouration: the threatened Helmeted Woodpecker Dryocopus galeatus belongs in the genus Celeus". Journal of Ornithology 157 (1): 109–116. doi:10.1007/s10336-015-1254-x.
- ↑ Gill, Frank; Donsker, David (eds.). "Woodpeckers". World Bird List Version 6.2. International Ornithologists' Union. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ↑ Benz, B.W.; Robbins, M.B.; Zimmer, K.J. (2015). "Phylogenetic relationships of the Helmeted Woodpecker (Dryocopus galeatus): A case of interspecific mimicry?". Auk 132 (4): 938–950. doi:10.1642/AUK-15-72.1.
- ↑ Winkler, Hans; Christie, David A. (2010). Woodpeckers. A C Black. pp. 336–37. ISBN 9781408135037.
- ↑ "Deceptive Woodpecker Uses Mimicry to Avoid Competition". AMNH. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
- ↑ Endangered Wildlife and Plants of the World 12. Marshall Cavendish. 2001. pp. 1672–73. ISBN 9780761472063.
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